Trump ally confesses to aiming to eliminate same-day registration in federal voting rights trial

During a federal court case in North Carolina concerning whether a recently enacted voter registration law discriminates against college students, a leading conservative election activist disclosed Republican intentions to eliminate same-day voter registration.

Judge Thomas Schroeder is considering the future of provisions in Senate Bill 747, which impose stricter requirements for voters registering and voting on the same day during North Carolinas early voting period. Following a week-long trial in Winston-Salem, Schroeder requested briefs by the end of November.

Cleta Mitchell, a supporter of Donald Trump and founder of the Election Integrity Network, testified after initially attempting to avoid participating in the case. In court, she argued that same-day registration facilitates voter fraud on college campuses, citing student IDs as an example. As the plaintiff Democracy North Carolina highlighted in a brief, she said, You create a continuum where youre just breaking little bones all along the arm. Pretty soon youve got a broken arm.

The new law allows ballots to be rejected if a registration confirmation letter is returned as undeliverable and requires same-day registrants to provide proof of residence, such as utility billsrules that other voters do not face. During her testimony, Mitchell acknowledged that college students who are state residents should be allowed to register and vote, though she previously suggested that Democrats promote same-day registration on campuses because students predominantly vote for one party.

Democracy North Carolina claimed that legislators incorporated input from Mitchell and Jim Womack, head of the North Carolina Election Integrity Team, when drafting the law, intending to limit younger voters access. Womack described their role as trying to convince lawmakers to end same-day registration, labeling it a potential avenue for election fraud and a special class of voters.

Both Mitchell and Womack lead Republican-aligned groups advocating for changes in election laws and challenging voter registrations. Plaintiffs presented evidence that the activists met with lawmakers and suggested language for the bill. Womack criticized college voters, claiming they are only motivated to register at the last minute by peers.

State officials defending the law argued there was no evidence that legislators acted on Mitchells advice and that claims of discrimination against young voters were based on guilt-by-association. Womack stated that if lawmakers had fully followed their recommendations, same-day registration would have been entirely eliminated. Mitchell testified she firmly believes the practice should be banned.

Chris Shenton, representing the plaintiffs, argued that conservative legislators relied on activists warnings about voter fraud without conducting independent studies. He noted that roughly half of same-day registrants in North Carolina are college students and that targeting them could violate the age protections of the 26th Amendment.

In the 2024 presidential election, around 5.7 million North Carolinians voted, with Trump winning the state by roughly 183,000 votes. The contested SB 747 provision is expected to affect only a few thousand voters. Last year, about 4,000 same-day registrants did not provide partial social security numbers or drivers license information, according to Womack.

Author: Caleb Jennings